I have some friends I want you to meet.
In nearly two decades working in travel journalism, I’ve been privileged to visit hundreds of incredible places around the world. But even more fascinating than the places I have traveled are the people I have met along the way.
The tourism community is full of fun, outgoing and passionate professionals. Many of them are also smart, creative and eager to share their insights.
Some of the people I meet eventually appear in the pages of this magazine. Our team often taps their expertise for articles we publish on a variety of topics. Interviewing them can be both fun and frustrating: I love sharing their knowledge and perspective with you, but I’m always disappointed that space constraints on the printed page force me to leave out so much of what they have to say.
That’s all about to change.
I’m excited to tell you about the debut of “Gather and Go,” a new podcast from our team that’s dedicated to helping you plan, promote and lead better trips.
Each episode of the podcast will feature a conversation with one of the many creative, innovative and engaging friends I’ve met in the tourism community. In our first episode, I talk with Terry Dale of the United States Tour Operators Association about traveling during difficult times. You’ll also hear conversations with leaders such as Jaclyn Leibl-Cote of Collette, Erik Wolf of the World Food Travel Association, Patrick Smith of Ask the Pilot and many more.
Regardless of what role you play in the travel industry, this is a podcast you won’t want to miss. We’re going to talk about the expanding role of cultural experiences in tourism, building resilient travel brands, leveraging technology to reach new markets and other ideas that will help you design better travel experiences and increase your impact in your community.
In addition to these featured conversations, you’ll also get travel news you may have missed, as well as travel tips from our team and updates on events, FAM tours and other special projects we’re working on. And you’ll want to stay tuned to the end of each episode for “The Hot Minute,” where I’ll give you my unfiltered take on issues impacting tourism every day.
If you’re already a fan of podcasts, you can find “Gather and Go” wherever you listen to your favorite shows. If you’ve never downloaded a podcast before, don’t worry — you can hear every episode online at grouptravelleader.com/podcast.
The first several episodes are available now. Join us for “Gather and Go,” and let’s take your travel organization to the next level.
